The present invention relates to a novel microwave resistant mixing device.
Microwave ovens are quite common in households and commercial food preparation establishments. Although microwave ovens are capable of cooking foods, most users only employ microwave ovens to defrost or reheat foods. This is believed due to the fact that cooking in a microwave oven usually requires attendance by the user to stop the cooking process, open the door of the microwave oven, stir the food being cooked and restart the cooking process during short intervals of time.
Microwave cooking also requires that containers be constructed of certain materials to prevent heating and destruction of those containers while the cooking process takes place. Also, early microwave ovens were constructed with glass-encased magnetrons. Any conductive metallic material placed in a microwave in such early microwave ovens endangered such glass-encased magnetrons. That is to say, metallic material in such ovens reflected a portion of the microwaves causing heat buildup, resulting in destruction of the glass-encased magnetron. Since 1980, however, microwave ovens have been constructed with ceramic-encased magnetrons that are capable of withstanding the extra heat generated by metallic items in the microwave. The only precaution necessary would be to insulate metallic members from the metallic housing of the microwave oven, which is simply achieved by the placement of a glass tray or plate beneath the metallic member.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,400,401, 4,406,860, 4,406,861, and 4,409,454 show microwave oven containers which employ non-metallic jars that are used in microwaves oven in the canning process.
A mixing device which is compatible with a microwave oven would be a notable advance in the food processing industry.